Jungle Terror
by Triko88
Summary: Kais Shi'Ur is alone. Well, not entirely. Trapped on a newly discovered jungle world, unable to make contact with his cadre, and surrounded on all sides by bloodthirsty Tyranids, he will have to fight, or face not only the loss of his own life, but the loss of thousands of other Tau.


_How did I get myself into this?_ The thought ran through the filthy Shas'ui's mind as he crouched precariously by the edge of the glistening pond, light battling with the treetops of the jungle's enormous trees for entrance. It had been over 2 days since he had last been able to drink anything, and he yearned for something to quench his violent thirst.

He cupped his hands and desperately shoveled water into his mouth, much of it dribbling down his chin and onto the crusty blood stains that adorned his armor like medals. The Tau continued forcing water down his gullet, happier than his ancestors had been when the Mont'au ended. That is, until he looked up.

Lying face up in the pool of water was one of his subordinates,stomach ripped open and intestines slinking into the water like a disobedient Kroot hound sent to bed by its master. The Shas'ui leapt back, his stomach lurching, heaving the limited contents it contained into the pool. he stood, wiping a spittle of bile that still remained from his lips before eyeing the corpse more thorougly. The young Tau had been their newest Shas'la, straight from the academy on Vior'la.

They had been part of a pathfinder team sent ahead of the main Tau fleet to analyze how fit this planet was for colonization. After landing, it had quickly become apparent that they were not welcome here. Almost as soon as they had disembarked, the cadre had been come close to being completely annihilated by a swarm of the vicious Tyranids who were resident here, massacring most of the Tau at the landing zone, while forcing all survivors into the depths of the inhospitable jungle.

Fortunately his team had been able to escape with limited casualties. After that however, their luck had quickly diminished to nothing. The Tyranids had stalked them through the dense undergrowth, eliminating them off one at a time while their guard was lowered. Sooner than later, twelve became nine, nine became six, six had shrunken to two, and, now, two had become one. Now the savage creatures would be hunting him with much more vigour

_Hunting him._

The thought echoed through Kais Shi'Ur's mind like a pulse carbine shot rang through the interior of a Hammerhead. He was now more than likely alone, on a world that was beseeched by a creature that had plagued the galaxy for millennia, massacring the population of entire planets, devouring all in it's path . He shuddered slightly as he walked to the rock where he had kept his helmet and pulse carbine. He knelt down and picked up the helmet, it's green, grey, and brown color scheme matching the rest of his armor, which had been designed to provide camouflage in the dense jungle. He looked into it's dull lime eyepieces intently, wiping some blood that had stubbornly collected there. He quickly raised his arms above his head and brought the helmet down over it. Runes of the Tau lexicanum glowed all over the interface, flashing various messages as the system started up. He shouldered his pulse carbine, syncing it to the helmet's interface, allowing him to see his ammo count, a crosshair, and any damage that the technological marvel the weapon was may had sustained. He sighed as he smacked its broken gyroscope roughly several times before his HUD gave him a green light, signifying it was in working condition.

The Tau reached up and tapped a button the side of his helmet, causing objects in his environment to be outlined in a light red. He quickly scanned his environment, making sure to look at any places he though a tyranid may have been hiding. Seeing nothing abnormal, he switched it off and began to trudge through the hellish forest that had become his home. His steps thudded lightly on the forest floor, his hooves kicking up small puffs of greyish-brown dust as he walked down the path that was barely discernable from the rest of the forest. Suddenly he stopped mid stride, hoof not touching the ground. Quickly replacing his hoof where it was in his previous step, Shi'Ur knelt down gently.

Before him lay a simple tripwire, no attempt to disguise it's black figure, easy to spot if the victim had any sense of guerilla fighting. The Shas'Ui reached out, gently tugging the tripwire. Feeling a slight give, he knew the trap was set up hastily, the grenade the string had been attached to barely visible under a nearby bush. He stood, walking over to the grenade and knelt once more, examining the grenade's origin.

_Humans…_

Shi'ur's mind was suddenly bombarded with thoughts of what had happened before he arrived. _Did humans already inhabit the planet? Were they just PDF, or was there an Imperial Guard unit? Were they fleeing the tyranids? Was the trap laid by hybrids?_

He took a seat, pulling his helmet off of his head and placing it beside him, his red eyes gleaming in what little sunlight infiltrated through the thick leaves above. Withdrawing a ration bar from his pouch, he thoughtfully began to chew, the bland flavor and lumpy texture doing little to satisfy his taste buds. The most important of his thoughts kept barrelling through his mind, and no matter what he theorized, it always returned to the same question.

_Would he survive long enough to find out?_

Shi'Ur was suddenly brought out of his reverie by one of the sounds he feared most from his days of training at the academy. The sound of a twig snapping. He lept up, shoving his helmet onto his head and leveling the carbine that had been thoughtfully kept on the sling which rested across his chest. He scanned the area, his hearing becoming enhanced by both adrenaline and the helmet, which also outlined the surrounding environment with a gentle red.

A flash of crimson to the right caught his eyes as he quickly pivoted and fired a burst from his carbine, the bright blue colliding successfully with his target, a bright splash of red painting the trees that surrounded the creature. The Shas'Ui cursed in his native tongue as he looked at the furred body of the local wildlife he had eviscerated. Letting his carbine fall into it's place at his chest. A small chuckle escaping the Tau's lips, to be heard by no one but himself.

That is, himself and the Genestealer that eyed the four fingered humanoid with a hunger that needed to be satiated. It circled it's prey, looking for the best time to attack, the brush rustling against it's rough carapace. Unbeknownst to the Tyranid, the Tau had heard the noise and was slowly loading a fresh charge pack into his carbine, preparing to end whatever creature thought could make it lunch next. The Shas'Ui quickly pivoted, kneeling whilst at the same time taking aim through the scope of his pulse carbine, quickly firing a burst at the 'stealer which his HUD so helpfully outlined in a deep, dark crimson. The shots went wide though, and the Tyranid took advantage of this, leaping at the Tau with great speed. Fortunately, Shi'Ur had taken up several close quarters lessons in the academy. Even if it was looked down upon by most, he would take any advantage that he could whilst in battle, and it was finally going to pay off. Rolling out of the way hastily, the pathfinder once again leveled his weapon at the broadside of the passing Tyranid, a large pulse barrage turning most of the creatures side into nothing more than ichor and scorch marks. The creature lay on the ground, mortally wounded and crying out for help from the rest of hive, while still hungrily snapping at the Tau that slowly walked towards it. Shi'Ur removed his helmet, looking directly into the creatures eyes, both locked in a trance as the Tau drew his bonding knife from it's hilt on his hip. "For the Greater Good" was all that escaped the pathfinders lips as his blade found it's mark in the genestealer's neck. He left it there, walking away as his former brothers were able to have vengeance on the vicious beast. The Shas'Ui wiped his gloved hands of the blood on his armor, another simple thought crossing his mind.

_So uncivilized._


End file.
